Mobile device with disabling feature

ABSTRACT

A method and system for payments for mobile phone payments with a disabling feature is disclosed. The method includes activating a mobile phone containing contactless payment systems, and having a timeout feature disable the contactless payment systems after a set period of time.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/971,586, filed on Jan. 9, 2008, which is anon-provisional of and claims priority to U.S. provisional patentapplication No. 60/884,212, filed on Jan. 9, 2007 and U.S. provisionalpatent application No. 60/884,290, filed on Jan. 10, 2007, all of whichare herein incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes.

This application is also related to U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/971,687, entitled “Contactless Transaction”, filed on Jan. 9, 2008,and is also related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/971,715,entitled “Mobile Payment Management”, filed on Jan. 9, 2008, now U.S.Pat. No. 8,923,827 issued Dec. 30, 2014, and is also related to U.S.patent application Ser. No. 11/971,711, entitled “Mobile Phone PaymentProcess including Threshold Indicator”, filed on Jan. 9, 2008 now U.S.Pat. No. 8,989,712 issued Mar. 24, 2015. These applications are hereinincorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

With advancements in technology, contactless payment systems such ascontactless cards have begun to proliferate as a means for conductingtransactions. Contactless payment cards can communicate with contactlessreaders in point of sale (POS) devices or contactless readers, when theyare close together.

Usage of a contactless card requires a consumer to carry the contactlesscard, of course. This results in additional items carried by alreadyoverloaded consumers. Another problem with a contactless payment card isthat, since it only needs to be proximate to a contactless reader toread data from it, it is possible that an unauthorized person might usean unauthorized reader to “sniff” data from the contactless card whenthe contactless card is not being used in a transaction.

Embodiments of the invention address these and other problems,individually and collectively.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Embodiments of the invention are directed to improved mobile phonepayment systems and methods with a disabling feature.

One embodiment of the invention is directed to a method. The methodcomprises entering a predetermined timeout time into a mobile phone,where the mobile phone comprises a contactless element that isconfigured to be read by a contactless reader in an access device. Themethod also includes executing a mobile payment application associatedwith the mobile phone, and disabling the mobile payment applicationafter the predetermined timeout time has elapsed.

Another embodiment of the invention is directed to a computer readablemedium comprising code for allowing a contactless element in a mobilephone to communicate with a contactless reader in an access device, codefor entering a predetermined timeout time, code for executing a mobilepayment application associated with the mobile phone, and code fordisabling the mobile payment application after the predetermined timeouttime has elapsed.

Another embodiment of the invention is directed to a method comprisingtransmitting data related to a mobile payment application to a mobilephone comprising a contactless element, wherein the data comprises atimer for a predetermined timeout time such that the mobile paymentapplication is disabled after the predetermined timeout time haselapsed.

These and other embodiments of the invention are described in furtherdetail below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a system according to an embodiment ofthe invention.

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a mobile phone according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of an access device according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 shows a flowchart illustrating the various display screens of amobile phone during a method according to an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 5 shows a flowchart illustrating a method according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 shows a flowchart illustrating of a method according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 shows a flowchart illustrating the various display screens of amobile phone during a method according to an embodiment of theinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

I. Mobile Transaction Systems

The environment is ripe for the development of payment andpayment-related services in the mobile phone ecosystem. Consumer demandfor all-purpose multi-functional mobile phones is increasing. Technologythat supports a mobile payments infrastructure is emerging (i.e.,contactless payment acceptance infrastructure, Near field communication(NFC)-enabled mobile phones, and robust mobile networks). There isincreasing collaboration between wireless and financial services. Themobile phone has the potential to enhance the security and convenienceof using a payment product as well as introduce payment products toparts of the world that don't currently have a support infrastructurefor traditional payment products.

Embodiments of the invention are directed towards the use of a mobiletelephone, or mobile phone, as a contactless payment device. The mobilephone can contain a mobile payment application that is a softwareapplication that stores payment details, such as a credit card numberand related information. When consumers wish to make a purchase from amerchant, they can place their mobile phones in proximity to an accessdevice associated with the merchant. The mobile payment application maythen send the payment details to the access device over a wirelessconnection. From there the transaction may progress similarly to theprogression of a purchase with a traditional credit card.

To make a payment using a mobile phone, the mobile payment applicationstored on the phone is executed so that the payment can be made with themobile phone. In certain embodiments of the invention, there can be twomodes of operation of the mobile phone relating to execution.

In a first mode of operation according to an embodiment of theinvention, the consumer, or user, sets the mobile phone application as“always on.” In this mode of operation, the mobile payment applicationon the phone is always in an execution mode when the mobile phone ispowered on. To make a payment, the consumer can place the mobile phoneclose to an access device such as a POS terminal with a contactlessreader, and payment information (e.g., account information) will betransmitted from the mobile phone to the contactless reader (andtherefore the POS terminal). Whenever the mobile phone is powered on,the mobile payment application can automatically execute. To deactivatethe mobile payment application, the consumer can manually deactivate itby changing settings on the mobile phone. In this first mode, the mobilepayment application is always active, and as such, payment informationcan be transmitted anytime the phone is located near an access device.

The second mode of operation, according to embodiments of the invention,can help prevent the accidental transmittal of information as can occurin the first mode. In the second mode of operation, the user canmanually select the mobile phone application each time before making apurchase. In this method, the mobile phone normally resides in the“idle” state, such that it does not transmit any payment information toan access device, even when placed, in proximity to one. To conduct atransaction, the consumer can execute the mobile payment application onthe mobile phone by selecting it, typically by using a shortcut key onthe phone or by navigating to a menu system on the display of the mobilephone and by selecting an appropriate menu item. Once the mobile paymentapplication is active, the mobile phone will transmit paymentinformation when placed in proximity with an access device.

In this method of execution of the mobile phone application, theapplication remains active until a transaction has occurred. Once atransaction has occurred, the mobile phone can go back to the idlestate. However, there may be occasions when the consumer activates themobile payment application, but then does not intend to continue with apayment transaction. On such occasions, the mobile payment applicationwould still remain active, and could unintentionally transmit paymentinformation to an unauthorized contactless reader. To prevent this, theconsumer can manually disable the mobile phone application, therebyreturning the mobile phone to the idle state. Still, there are timeswhen the user may forget to do so, leaving the mobile paymentapplication active.

In preferred embodiments of the invention, the mobile phone comprises apredetermined timeout time. Using this feature, the mobile phone canautomatically disable the mobile payment application after a set amountof time (the predetermined timeout time) has elapsed. In certainimplementations, a countdown timer on the mobile phone will start tocount down from the predetermined timeout time once the mobile paymentapplication has been executed. If a payment transaction with the phonetakes place, the phone will reset back to the idle state after thepayment transaction is completed, and the timer will likewise reset andstop counting. If no payment transaction occurs within the predeterminedtimeout time, then after the predetermined timeout time, the mobilepayment application on the phone will automatically disable so thatcontactless payments cannot be made. The mobile phone can return to theidle state. When this happens, the timer will stop counting and be resetback to the predetermined timeout time, to be used when the mobilepayment application is next activated.

If the predetermined timeout time elapses and therefore the mobilepayment application deactivates, then no payment information will besent even in the event the mobile phone is placed near an access device.The phone can remain in the idle state until the user again activatesthe mobile payment application. If the user activates a mobile paymentapplication to make a payment transaction, but then the user waitslonger than the predetermined timeout time to conduct the transaction,then the mobile phone will not be able to conduct the paymenttransaction when it is placed next to an access device. In this case,the consumer can activate the payment application again, and can thenpresent the phone to the access device again (within the predeterminedtime), in order to conduct and complete the transaction. In embodimentsof the invention, the duration of the predetermined timeout time may beset by the user, or may be set by another entity such as the mobilephone carrier or the financial institution associated with the paymentinformation stored on the mobile payment application.

In certain embodiments, the mobile phone may contain more than onemobile payment application or mobile payment application instance. Inthese embodiments, the mobile phone can contain a plurality of mobilepayment applications or instances. Each of the plurality of mobilepayment applications or instances can be associated with differentpayment details. In some implementations, each mobile paymentapplication or instance on a mobile phone is associated with a specificissuer, and each may contain different payment information, and may beassociated with different issuer specific payment services. For example,a single mobile phone may contain three instances of a mobile paymentapplication. The first instance may contain credit card informationrelating to a Bank A credit card. The second instance may containinformation relating to a Bank B credit card. The third instance maycontain information relating to a debit card associated with a checkingaccount with a Bank C. The consumer can select the payment service ofBank A, Bank B, or Bank C to make a payment using the correspondingaccount.

In certain embodiments, a consumer can set one of the issuer-specificpayment services as a default. The default payment service will then beused for payment transactions conducted using the phone, barring furtheraction by the consumer. In the above example, using the mobile phone,the consumer may choose the first issuer specific payment service as thedefault mobile payment application. When the consumer uses the mobilephone in a payment transaction, the default mobile payment applicationassociated with the selected payment service will be used. The consumermay change the default payment service at a later date. Also, in someembodiments, the consumer can select an issuer specific payment serviceto be a default service for a predetermined number (e.g., one) oftransactions.

Also, in some embodiments, each payment service can be associated withits own predetermined timeout time. Also, the duration of timeout timescan vary according to issuer or consumer preference.

Specific embodiments of the invention can be described with reference toFIGS. 1-7.

FIG. 1 shows a system according to an embodiment of the invention. Othersystems according to embodiments of the invention may include fewer ormore components than are specifically shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 1 shows a consumer 30, a mobile phone 32, an access device 18, amerchant 22, a payment processing network 40, and an issuer 42, inoperative communication with each other. The merchant 22 and issuer 42can communicate through the payment processing network 40. As usedherein, an “issuer” is typically a business entity (e.g., a bank) whichmaintains financial accounts for the consumer and often issues aportable consumer device such as a credit or debit card to the consumer.In embodiments of the invention, the issuer 42 has issued a mobilepayment application to the consumer 30. The mobile payment applicationwill be used with the mobile phone 32. When the consumer 30 wishes toconduct a payment transaction with the merchant 22, she will (if needed)activate the mobile payment application on the mobile phone (as morefully explained below), and position the mobile phone 32 near the accessdevice 18 so that the two devices communicate wirelessly. The accessdevice 18 can read the payment data from the mobile phone 32, andprovide that data to the merchant 22. The merchant 22 can contact theissuer 42 associated with the payment account through the paymentprocessing network 40, to receive either an authorization or a denialfor the transaction.

The payment processing network 40 may have a server computer 44, as wellas a database 48. The server computer 44 is typically a powerfulcomputer or cluster of computers. For example, the server computer canbe a large mainframe, a minicomputer cluster, or a group of serversfunctioning as a unit. In one example, the server computer may be adatabase server coupled to a web server.

The payment processing network 40 may comprise or use a paymentprocessing network such as VisaNet™. The payment processing network 40and any communication network that communicates with the paymentprocessing network 40 may use any other suitable wired or wirelessnetwork, including the Internet. The payment processing network 40 maybe adapted to process ordinary debit or credit card transactions.

The server computer 44 may comprise or be associated with a computerreadable medium comprising code for receiving information regarding apayment account, and then determining the issuer associated with thatpayment account. The computer readable medium may also comprise code forusing the payment account information to route any authorization requestmessage to the appropriate issuer 42.

For simplicity of illustration, one mobile phone 32, one access device18, one merchant 22, and one issuer 42 are shown. However, it isunderstood that in embodiments of the invention, there can be multiplemobile phones, access devices, merchants, issuers, as well as servercomputers, databases, accounts, etc.

An exemplary mobile phone 32 may comprise a computer readable medium anda body as shown in FIG. 2. (FIG. 2 shows a number of components, and themobile phones according to embodiments of the invention may comprise anysuitable combination or subset of such components.) The computerreadable medium 32(b) may be present within the body 32(h), or may bedetachable from it. The body 32(h) may be in the form a plasticsubstrate, housing, or other structure. The computer readable medium32(b) may be a memory that stores data and may be in any suitable formincluding a magnetic stripe, a memory chip, etc. The memory preferablystores information such as payment account information, which maycomprise financial information, transit information (e.g., as in asubway or train pass), access information (e.g., as in access badges),etc. Financial information may include information such as bank accountinformation, bank identification number (BIN), credit or debit cardnumber information, account balance information, expiration date,consumer information such as name, date of birth, etc. Any of thisinformation may be transmitted by the mobile phone 32.

In some embodiments information in the memory may also be in the form ofdata tracks that are traditionally associated with credits cards. Suchtracks include Track 1 and Track 2. Track 1 (“International AirTransport Association”) stores more information than Track 2, andcontains the cardholder's name as well as account number and otherdiscretionary data. This track is sometimes used by the airlines whensecuring reservations with a credit card. Track 2 (“American BankingAssociation”) is currently most commonly used. This is the track that isread by ATMs and credit card checkers. The ABA (American BankingAssociation) designed the specifications of this track and all worldbanks must abide by it. It contains the cardholder's account, encryptedPIN, plus other discretionary data.

The mobile phone 32 may further include a contactless element 32(g),which is typically implemented in the form of a semiconductor chip (orother data storage element) with an associated wireless transfer (e.g.,data transmission) element, such as an antenna. Contactless element32(g) is associated with (e.g., embedded within) mobile phone 32 anddata or control instructions may be applied to contactless element 32(g)by the processor 32(c).

Contactless element 32(g) is capable of transferring and receiving datausing a near field communications (“NFC”) capability (or near fieldcommunications medium) typically in accordance with a standardizedprotocol or data transfer mechanism (e.g., ISO 14443/NFC). Near fieldcommunications capability is a short-range communications capability,such as RFID, Bluetooth™, infra-red, or other data transfer capabilitythat can be used to exchange data between the mobile phone 32 and aninterrogation device such as an access device. The access device shouldhave a contactless reader that can read the contactless element 32(g).Thus, the mobile phone 32 is capable of communicating and transferringdata and/or control instructions via both cellular network and nearfield communications capability.

The mobile phone 32 may also include a processor 32(c) (e.g., amicroprocessor) for processing the functions of the mobile phone 32 anda display 32(d) to allow a consumer to see phone numbers and otherinformation and messages. The mobile phone 32 may further include inputelements 32(e) to allow a consumer to input information into the phone,a speaker 32(f) to allow the consumer to hear voice communication,music, etc., and a microphone 32(i) to allow the consumer to transmither voice through the mobile phone 32. The mobile phone 32 may alsoinclude an antenna 32(a) for wireless data transfer (e.g., datatransmission over a wireless network).

The mobile phone 32 may contain a plurality of copies, or instances, ofthe mobile payment application. Code for the plurality of mobile paymentapplications may reside on computer readable medium 32(b) of the mobilephone 32. Computer readable medium 32(b) may also comprise code relatingto a timer that automatically deactivates any mobile paymentapplications after a predetermined timeout time has elapsed, code fordisplaying the timer in the mobile phone display, code for executing themobile payment applications on the mobile phone, and code for allowingcontactless element to communicate with the contactless reader in anaccess device. In certain embodiments, the mobile payment application isa J2ME/MIDP 2.0 application (MIDIet). Mobile Information Device Profile(MIDP) is the specification published for the use of Java on embeddeddevices such as mobile phones. Each mobile payment application instancecan be customized and configured for a specific issuer. The data for themobile payment application can be transmitted by being provisionedover-the-air (OTA), installed, activated, and configured according tothe issuer's specifications on the mobile phone during serviceactivation. Once configured an application instance may appear as anentry in the phone's main menu folder for mobile payments and otherfinancial applications. In some embodiments, there can be more than oneapplication instance on the menu based on the number of instances of themobile payment application that have been activated and configured onthe mobile phone.

FIG. 3 shows a block diagram showing basic components that may reside ina contactless reader or POS terminal such as access device 18. Anexemplary access device 18 may comprise a processor 18(a)-1, a computerreadable medium 18(a)-2, a keypad 18(a)-3, a mobile phone reader18(a)-4, an output device 18(a)-5, and a network interface 18(a)-6,which can all be operatively coupled to the processor 18(a)-1. Exemplarymobile phone readers can include RF (radio frequency) antennas thatinteract with the mobile phone 32 through near field communications.Suitable output devices may include displays and audio output devices.Exemplary computer readable media may include one or more memory chips,disk drives, etc. The network interface 18(a)-6 may allow the accessdevice 18 to send and receive messages from the merchant 22, paymentprocessing network 40, and/or the issuer 42.

In order to conduct purchase transactions using the components in FIGS.1-3, the mobile phone 32 and mobile payment application is firstconfigured. Then, the mobile phone 32 can be used to conduct paymenttransactions. These procedures are explained in detail below.

II. Configuring the Mobile Phone

Once the mobile payment application has been provisioned and installedon a mobile phone, it is configured to allow payment transactions to beconducted using the phone. As described above, more than one mobilepayment application or instance may be installed on the mobile phone.For such cases, each application or instance may be individuallyconfigured if desired or configured in the same way.

FIG. 5 shows the steps taken to configure a mobile payment applicationon a mobile phone according to an embodiment of the invention, alongwith screen shots of what the display of the mobile phone may showduring certain steps. In FIG. 5, steps located below Mobile Handset 412are the steps that may be performed by the mobile payment application,and the steps located under Consumer 410 are the steps that may beperformed by the user of the handset.

A payment service can first be activated on the phone. Once the mobilephone has received a message saying the selected payment application hassuccessfully been installed and there is service activation (step 414and screen shot 418), the application can be launched as in step 416.Once launched, the mobile payment application checks its ownconfiguration to determine if any user modifications are possible. If noconfiguration modifications are allowed, then the process jumps to step448, the configuration is complete, the display screen 450 is shown, andthe mobile payment application is ready for use as in step 446.

If configuration options are allowed, the mobile payment application canallow the consumer to accept the default configuration option or modifysome or all of the configuration options. In step 422, the applicationchecks if a password is mandatory. If so, the user is prompted to entera password in step 420. The requirements for the password may vary. Inone implementation, the password may be required to consist of between 4and 8 letters or numbers. Screen shot 424 shows what the display screenof the mobile phone will look like during step 420.

Next, the application checks to see if there are any other issuerspecific software platforms installed on the mobile phone in step 426.If there are other platforms installed, the consumer is prompted tochoose whether the currently configurable platform is the defaultapplication in step 424 and as shown in screen shot 428. If thecurrently configured platform is not chosen as the default (i.e.,another instance is the default), then the configuration process iscompleted as in step 448.

If there are no other platforms installed, or if the currentlyconfigured platform is set as the default platform, the mobile paymentapplication then checks to see if the mode of operation can beconfigured to be always on in step 432. If it can be so configured, theapplication prompts the user to set the application as either always onor in manual activation mode in step 430 and as shown in screen shot434. The “always on” feature may alternatively be predetermined and notconfigurable by the user, as shown in step 436. In either case, if theplatform is set to be always on, the phone can be configured to displayan indicator alerting the user as such in step 435.

If the consumer has the option to configure the mode of operation of theplatform, the user can choose to not set the application associated withthe platform as always on, but can choose to require manual activationprior to each purchase. If that configuration is chosen, the mobilepayment application can check to see if a predetermined timeout time isconfigurable 442. If so, the application may prompt the user to enterthe duration of the predetermined timeout time into the mobile phone instep 440 and as shown in screen shot 438. As can be seen from screenshot 438, in that implementation, the default predetermined timeout timecan be 90 seconds. In other implementations the predetermined timeouttime can be for other durations, such as 30 seconds, 60 seconds, 100seconds, etc. If the duration is configurable by the user, the user maybe allowed choose any number of seconds, from 00-99, as shown in screenshot 438.

Alternatively, the predetermined timeout time may not be configurable bythe user, as shown in step 442. In that implementation, thepredetermined timeout time is entered into the mobile phone when themobile payment application is provisioned and installed. The duration ofthe predetermined timeout time may be chosen by the issuer associatedwith the mobile payment application, the mobile carrier, an organizationassociated with the payment processing network, or some otherinstitution. Furthermore, after the mobile payment application has beenfully configured, the duration of the predetermined timeout time may bechanged by the appropriate party such as the issuer or organizationassociated with the payment processing network. A signal can be receivedby the mobile phone OTA (such as through the wireless network) thatreconfigures the mobile payment application and adjusts the duration ofthe predetermined timeout time.

If the predetermined timeout time is not configurable, the phone can beconfigured to remove an indicator alerting the user that the mobilepayment application is currently active from its display in step 444.Such indicator only needs to be displayed while the mobile paymentapplication is active. Upon completion of the configuration process(step 448), the phone becomes ready to use in step 446 and displaysscreen shot 450. At that point, a completion message is sent by thephone in step 452, and it may be sent through the wireless network 408to be received by the payment processing network and the issuer, toalert the institutions of the activation of a new mobile paymentapplication.

III. Using the Mobile Phone

Once the mobile payment application has been configured, it may be usedin payment transactions. FIG. 4 shows a progression of screen shots ofthe display of a mobile phone that is being used in a paymenttransaction. In this embodiment, the mobile payment applicationassociated with the mobile phone is set to a manual activation mode ofoperation (i.e., the user will need to select the application prior tousing the mobile phone in a transaction). In screen shot 51, the user(i.e., the consumer) is shown executing the mobile payment application.In screen shot 52, the pay functionality of the mobile paymentapplication is selected. Once selected, the application shows that it isready to engage in a payment transaction in screen shot 53. The consumerbrings the mobile phone in proximity to the access device (or “waves”the mobile phone at the access device) in step 54 to effect the paymenttransaction. Once the payment transaction is completed, the mobile phonedisplay shows a confirmation in screen shot 55.

FIG. 6 shows a flowchart illustrating the various steps of conducting atransaction according to an embodiment of the transaction. At step 500,the mobile phone (i.e., the mobile handset 32) is in the idle state. Inorder to execute the mobile payment application in order to conduct apayment transaction, the user (i.e., the consumer 30) has two options incertain embodiments. In first option, the user can select a shortcut keyas in step 502, such as a programmable “soft key” located on the phone,which directly executes the mobile payment application. In the secondoption, the user goes through the menu system of the phone to select theapplication, as in step 504. In certain embodiments, step 504 canfurther comprise entering a password into the mobile phone application,in order to authenticate the consumer 30 and prevent fraud. This resultsin the mobile payment application being executed and the mobile phonebecoming ready to effect a transaction, as shown in steps 506 and 508.The mobile phone can then in step 510 display a message indicating thatis ready to conduct a payment transaction.

At step 512, the mobile phone is ready to conduct the transaction. Step512 is when a timer associated with the mobile phone begins countingdown from the predetermined timeout time. Should no payment transactionoccur before the predetermined timeout time elapses, the mobile paymentapplication is disabled in step 528, and the mobile phone returns to themain application page on the mobile phone display in step 530. At thispoint, if the consumer 30 still wishes to conduct a payment transaction,she reselects the mobile payment application either in step 502 or step504. However, in certain embodiments, after the mobile paymentapplication has been deactivated due to a predetermined timeout timeelapsing, a password will not need to be entered into the mobile paymentapplication, even if originally required. This is because the consumerhas already been authenticated by entering the password the first time,and necessitating further password inputs may discourage the consumerfrom making purchases.

If the phone is presented to an access device (e.g., a POS terminal)within the predetermined timeout time, a payment transaction will beconducted. The access device, which is a POS terminal 462 in thisembodiment, is ready in step 516, and the phone is presented to thecontactless reader element 18(a)-4 associated with POS terminal 18 instep 514. This allows the mobile phone 32 and the POS terminal 18 tocommunicate through near field communications, such that the paymentapplication can transmit payment information to the merchant 22 throughthe POS terminal 18. The POS terminal will process the transaction instep 522, and the merchant 22 can complete the sale in step 524. Themerchant 22 may provide a receipt to the consumer in step 526. Also,once the phone 412 is presented to the POS terminal in step 520, themobile phone 32 can detect that a payment transaction has occurred, andcan display the payment completion page to the user in step 518. Oncethe payment completion page is displayed, the mobile payment applicationis deactivated in step 528, and the mobile phone returns to the mainapplication page on the mobile phone display in step 530.

FIG. 7 shows a progression of screen shots of the display of a mobilephone 32 that is being used in the steps of FIG. 6. In screen shot 550,the mobile payment application has been executed and the payfunctionality of the mobile payment application is selected. Onceselected, the application shows that it is ready to engage in a paymenttransaction in screen shot 552. The consumer brings the mobile phone inproximity to the access device (or “waves” the mobile phone at theaccess device) in step 554 to effect the payment transaction. Once thepayment transaction is effected, the access device will beep to show asuccessful payment transaction in step 556, and the mobile phone displayshows a confirmation in screen shot 55.

Embodiments of the invention have a number of advantages. Mobile phonesare ubiquitous, so adding payment functionality to them greatly expandsthe market for contactless payment devices. At the same time, the use ofa timeout feature allows the phone to have full contactless cardfunctionality, while removing limitations. Many potential users arehesitant to adopt contactless payment systems as they mayunintentionally effect payment transactions merely by passing nearbyaccess devices. With a timeout feature, this concern is minimized.Furthermore, the use of multiple instances of a mobile paymentapplication on a mobile phone allows for the use of a variety of cardson a single phone. Combined with the timeout feature, the plurality ofmobile payment applications allows a user to replace many payment cardswith a single mobile phone without concern over accidental orsurreptitious transmittal of any of the payment information.

It should be understood that the present invention as described abovecan be implemented in the form of control logic using computer softwarein a modular or integrated manner. Based on the disclosure and teachingsprovided herein, a person of ordinary skill in the art will know andappreciate other ways and/or methods to implement the present inventionusing hardware and a combination of hardware and software.

Any of the software components or functions described in thisapplication, may be implemented as software code to be executed by aprocessor using any suitable computer language such as, for example,Java, C++ or Perl using, for example, conventional or object-orientedtechniques. The software code may be stored as a series of instructions,or commands on a computer readable medium, such as a random accessmemory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), a magnetic medium such as ahard-drive or a floppy disk, or an optical medium such as a CD-ROM. Anysuch computer readable medium may reside on or within a singlecomputational apparatus, and may be present on or within differentcomputational apparatuses within a system or network.

The above description is illustrative and is not restrictive. Manyvariations of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in theart upon review of the disclosure. The scope of the invention should,therefore, be determined not with reference to the above description,but instead should be determined with reference to the pending claimsalong with their full scope or equivalents.

One or more features from any embodiment may be combined with one ormore features of any other embodiment without departing from the scopeof the invention.

A recitation of “a”, “an” or “the” is intended to mean “one or more”unless specifically indicated to the contrary.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: receiving a firstconfigurable predetermined timeout time by a mobile device, wherein themobile device comprises a contactless element that is configured to beread by a contactless reader in an access device, the mobile devicecomprising a mobile payment application, the mobile payment applicationcapable of selection by a user, wherein the mobile payment applicationis associated with a configurable predetermined timeout time, whereinthe configurable predetermined timeout time is chosen by the user;receiving a password by the mobile payment application at a first time,the mobile payment application associated with payment accountinformation; initiating a first payment transaction using the mobiledevice by executing the mobile payment application in the mobile deviceafter receiving the password, wherein the mobile payment application hasa pay functionality and is further configured for password protection;during the first payment transaction, transmitting the payment accountinformation to the access device; during the first payment transaction,starting a timer to begin timing the first payment transaction thatcounts down from the first configurable predetermined timeout time; forsubsequent payment transactions before the first configurablepredetermined timeout time has elapsed, receiving a reselection of themobile payment application, the reselection not requiring a password tobe entered after the password is entered the first time, even while themobile payment application is configured for password protection; anddisabling the mobile payment application after the first configurablepredetermined timeout time has elapsed.
 2. The method of claim 1 whereinthe mobile payment application stores a credit card number.
 3. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the first configurable predetermined timeouttime is 30 seconds or less.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein the accessdevice is a point of sale terminal.
 5. The method of claim 1 furthercomprising setting the mobile payment application to an always on statewhere payment transactions can be conducted with the mobile paymentapplication while the mobile device is on.
 6. The method of claim 1wherein a contactless payment using the mobile payment applicationcannot be made using the mobile device when the mobile paymentapplication is disabled.
 7. The method of claim 1 wherein the executingthe mobile payment application is performed by pressing a soft key onthe mobile device.
 8. The method of claim 1 further comprising,displaying by the mobile device a message that the mobile device isready to conduct a transaction.
 9. The method of claim 1 wherein themobile payment application is linked to a debit card.
 10. The method ofclaim 1 wherein the mobile device is a mobile phone.
 11. A mobile devicecomprising: a processor; and a computer readable medium, the computerreadable medium comprising a method, the method comprising receiving afirst configurable predetermined timeout time, wherein the mobile devicecomprises a contactless element that is configured to be read by acontactless reader in an access device, the mobile device comprising amobile payment application, the mobile payment application capable ofselection by a user, wherein the mobile payment application isassociated with a configurable predetermined timeout time, wherein theconfigurable predetermined timeout time is chosen by the user, receivinga password by the mobile payment application at a first time, the mobilepayment application associated with payment account information,initiating a first payment transaction using the mobile device byexecuting the mobile payment application in the mobile device afterreceiving the password, wherein the mobile payment application has a payfunctionality and is further configured for password protection, duringthe first payment transaction, transmitting the payment accountinformation to the access device, during the first payment transaction,starting a timer to begin timing the first payment transaction thatcounts down from the first configurable predetermined timeout time, forsubsequent payment transactions before the first configurablepredetermined timeout time has elapsed, receiving a reselection of themobile payment application, the reselection not requiring a password tobe entered after the password is entered the first time, even while themobile payment application is configured for password protection, anddisabling the mobile payment application after the first configurablepredetermined timeout time has elapsed.
 12. The mobile device of claim11 wherein the mobile payment application stores a credit card number.13. The mobile device of claim 11 wherein the first configurablepredetermined timeout time is 30 seconds or less.
 14. The mobile deviceof claim 11 wherein the access device is a point of sale terminal. 15.The mobile device of claim 11 wherein the method further comprisessetting the mobile payment application to an always on state wherepayment transactions can be conducted with the mobile paymentapplication while the mobile device is on.
 16. The mobile device ofclaim 11 wherein a contactless payment using the mobile paymentapplication cannot be made using the mobile device when the mobilepayment application is disabled.
 17. The mobile device of claim 11wherein the executing the mobile payment application is performed bypressing a soft key on the mobile device.
 18. The mobile device of claim11 wherein the method further comprises: displaying by the mobile devicea message that the mobile device is ready to conduct a transaction. 19.The mobile device of claim 11 wherein the mobile payment application islinked to a debit card.
 20. The mobile device of claim 11 wherein themobile device is a mobile phone.